New KFC Double Down sandwich has no room for the bun

The new KFC chicken sandwich named the Double Down has just been introduced in America today. But the sandwich has raised concerns in a country where 65 percent of adults are overweight and 31 percent are obese, according to US government figures.

KFC's website says "This one-of-a-kind sandwich features two thick and juicy boneless white meat chicken filets (Original Recipe® or Grilled), two pieces of bacon, two melted slices of Monterey Jack and pepper jack cheese and Colonel's Sauce. This product is so meaty, there’s no room for a bun!"

The company claims its Original Recipe Double Down contains 540 calories, 32 grams of fat and 1,380mg of salt. But Canada's Vancouver Sun did its own research and estimated the Double Down has more like 1,228 calories - half of a man's recommended daily intake.

But KFC insisted: "Some media sources speculated on the nutritional information for the sandwich, and published numbers that were inflated."

Kelly Brownell, director of Yale University's Rudd Centre for Food Policy and Obesity, said this sandwich is a "salt bomb".

"That's a better part of a day's sodium in one meal," Brownell said.

The sandwich has gone on sale today in America after successful test runs in Rhode Island and Nebraska.